We readily recognize the sanctity of those who were murdered in the Holocaust al kiddush Hashem. But what of the survivors?
R’ Michoel Ber Weissmandl addressed this question with a powerful analogy. He compared Holocaust survivors to the limbs of an olah offering that had been placed upon the mizbeach (altar) but were not burned. Those limbs retain the full sanctity of the olah. Likewise, the survivors were placed upon the mizbeach of the Holocaust but were miraculously not burned. They therefore retain the same sanctity as those who were consumed upon the mizbeach of kiddush Hashem.
The Imrei Emes once related to Leibel Eisner, himself a Holocaust survivor: Chazal teach, luchos v’shivrei luchos munachos ba’aron, both the complete Tablets and the broken Tablets rest in the aron.
The survivors are the broken Tablets, standing together with the kedoshim who were killed—the complete Tablets. Both reside together in the Aron.
In this spirit, the Satmar Rav would say that one who seeks a blessing from a tzaddik should approach a Holocaust survivor bearing a number tattooed on his arm.
